MrBeast addresses rumors the US government paid him off for military recruiting

MrBeast has debunked rumors that the United States government offered him money to help recruit his viewers to the military.

On Tuesday, December 31, Rolling Stone reported that the US Pentagon approved funds for YouTube sensation MrBeast as well as various other celebrities.

It said that he was approved for “production support” funds, and mentioned that it came at a time when military recruitment was extremely low – prompting the government to find new ways to recruit.

This sparked posts across social media claiming that MrBeast was given funds to help recruit his viewers, but the YouTube superstar has since revealed what had happened.

MrBeast was approved for hurricane relief

“MrBeast secured Pentagon funding last year to tackle low Gen-Z military recruitment,” said AF Post on X.

They weren’t the only ones who made the claim, but MrBeast responded to debunk the rumor entirely.

“That’s not true. They were going to help us with some hurricane relief projects but it didn’t end up happening,” he said. “Can I go 1 week without someone making up something about me”

Rolling Stone also acquired an email written by the Pentagon about the offer to MrBeast. It said: “We did complete a PAA for the Social Influencer Mr. Beast, but ultimately did not support the production as he did not go to Puerto Rico for the Hurricane relief so that PAA is canceled.”

MrBeast’s humanitarian efforts have gone viral quite a few times over the last few years, as he travels to various countries and helps thousands of people in need.

He posted a video in July 2024 showing that he and his team visited a rural village in Zambia to help rebuild it entirely. Just a month before that, his effort to build 100 homes for those in need sparked backlash from critics saying he shouldn’t share his philanthropic efforts online.